Open Letter from Fellows of the Royal Society

Forty-two Fellows of the Royal Society, including 5 Nobel Laureates, have signed an Open Letter expressing disappointment with the Royal Society's position, and supporting the RCUK move toward open access. The letter mentions strong backing of the RCUK proposal by librarians!

Excerpt:
As working scientists who support open access to published research, we believe that the Society should support RCUK's proposal, rather than oppose it. The proposed RCUK policy will ensure that the results of research funded by the Research Councils are made freely and rapidly available, maximizing their utility not only to the scholarly community in the United Kingdom and around the world, but also to practitioners (including doctors and nurses) and to the British public whose taxes largely support the research. The RCUK policy has strong backing from librarians and academics, and has received official support3 from Universities UK, the organization that represents UK university vice-chancellors and principals.

Thanks to Stevan Harnad, Peter Suber, and others.